1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of printers and the user interface panel of printers.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems. One example of an information handing system is a printer.
Known printers often provide a user interface panel via which a user can access and control the functions of the printer. There are a plurality of issues relating to the printer user interface panel. For example, known user interface panels often have an intimidating cluttered interface that is not always needed to use the printer (most printers also include software for controlling the printer via an information handling system coupled to the printer). Empirical user in-home studies have indicated that users often feel that their printers look cluttered and intimidating with all of the buttons and display present. Also, users with children indicated that the children often try to play with the interface. To avoid this, the users would locate the printer out of reach of the children.
Additionally, known user interface panels often protrude from the printer body, thus increasing the shipping cost of the printer.